The Manila Electric Co. has issued a warning to its customers against a modus operandi where would-be victims would be approached by individuals offering to pay their unpaid bills on their behalf. To lure the customer, the collector would assure the customer that if the payment would be made through him, the customer would get a discount on his bill. After getting the customer’s payment, the collector would then return to give the customer a receipt to suggest that the payment has been remitted to Meralco. After getting the customer’s payment, the collector would then pay Meralco using cheque payment. The victim would later discover that their payment was invalidated due to returned cheque payment for the reason that the bank account is “closed” already.
Meralco said that customers should be wary of individuals collecting payment for their bills. It clarified that it no longer has collectors who go house-to-house to collect payment, nor does it have any scheme that offers discount on electricity bills.
To avoid being victimized by such scrupulous schemes, Meralco advised its customers to settle their electricity bills directly in any of its business centers. Meralco also said the Bayad Center outlets is another option for customers where they can pay their bills. It added that other accredited third party payment partners, such as banks and malls, are authorized to accept bill payments.
For more information, Meralco said that customers may call its 24-hour hotline at 16211 or they may go to any business center near them.